Alternatives to high heels (museum shoes)
Sometimes, you or a loved one may be tempted to wear heels to a museum. I spotted these intrepid museum-goers at the De Young on a Friday night. It was full of people dancing to live music, checking out art, watching films, and making art. Perhaps the high-heeled were wearing the shoes because it was [...]
How to recognize depression: Are you an immobile mouse?
One way researchers test to see if a mouse is depression-prone is to put mice in water to see if they will swim or not. A depressed mouse will barely move while a non-depressed mouse will swim. I wonder what would have happened if the researchers had made the mice swim? Would the sad mice [...]
Surprise is good for the brain: Irreverent Nordic craft art at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Yerba Buena’s Irreverent: Contemporary Nordic Craft exhibit is full of surprise, which is what the brain needs to stay elastic and resilient. Simply taking a new route to work or a different path in the park can help your brain remain elastic, so walking through an exhibit of Nordic crafts must be a serious stimulator.
The [...]
Come camote
Remember your grandparents eating camote y leche? You might not, unless you grew up on the U.S.-Mexico border. My grandpa would mash up the sweet potatoes with milk, sometimes adding in cinnamon. Sweet, warm, mushy, easy-to-cook comfort food that nourishes a sweet tooth.
I offered this delicacy to my boyfriend, and he thought it was wacked [...]
If you live [or work] around fast-food places you're in danger of becoming obese
If you live or work around fast food places, you’ve gotta watch out for weight gain. The average California resident lives in a neighborhood in which fast food restaurants outnumber grocery stores and produce vendors by 4.5 to 1, according to a policy brief prepared by Policy Link, the California Center for Public Advocacy, and [...]
Migrating away from allergies, asthma attacks, & mold
My brother and I moved out of the rooms we were renting in a house. The allergist told him to move out immediately because the mold and other allergens in the house were making him sick. He’s felt sick on and off for months, and fatigued for about a year. Leaks went unfixed, one roommate [...]
How to exercise everyday: create a trigger
Some of you have asked how I stay in shape. I don’t belong to a gym, although I’m definitely going to start lifting weights in 2009. I always put my sneakers next to the bed and my warm-ups nearby. The first thing I do when I wake up is put on the warm-ups and my [...]
More Public Stretching
It’s catching on. People are stretching when the opportunity strikes. Witness Brenda Beza & Jason Oliver Chang revving up their brains through stretching and exercise. Read Spark by John J. Ratey who tells us that 10 minutes a day of exercise can improve thinking. You’ll come up with quick one-liners and on the fly advice. [...]
Benefits of Public Stretching
I’m a firm believer in public stretching.
My brother, Nicholas, converted me into a public stretcher. At first his public stretching freaked me out. He’d use the poles in subways to stretch. He’d also improve his balance by surfing on the subway, avoiding holding onto the poles while the subway was in motion.
Then I started trying [...]